The Canadian government has announced it will make it mandatory for pharmaceutical companies to post public notices when drugs are not available.

Currently, posting notices to a website about drug shortages is voluntary. For months, doctors and patients have complained the approach is not working, and people are not able to get the medication they need.

For instance, the former head of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) discovered liquid penicillin was temporarily unavailable in one Edmonton hospital last fall.

"We called on pharmaceutical companies to voluntarily post all anticipated and actual drug shortages and discontinuances online as early as possible … but following extensive consultations with Canadians and health-care professionals, it became clear to me that Canadians were not getting this essential information in a timely and reliable manner from all pharmaceutical companies,"
Ambrose said in Vancouver on Tuesday.

Ambrose said that kind of behaviour "has to stop," and the government will now require companies to post all actual and anticipated shortages, which the public can access on a third-party website.

'Name and shame'

Ambrose said the government will "name and shame" the companies that don't report drug shortages.

"Also, as of today, Health Canada's website will now have a public register that lists pharmaceutical companies that have committed to voluntary public notification, and will include letters to companies that fail to live up to those expectations," she said.